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The sound of approaching hooves pounded in her head as she worked.

Loosening the knot was proving more difficult than she thought.

Waves of pain made it difficult to concentrate. Still, Selena forced her fingers to continue working. Wiggling. Prying at the knotted wire.

Jamie carried on screaming. It sounded like the cry of the damned. Slamming into the ground must have broken something in her frail body. Yet, if Selena failed in her current work, she knew that more people would suffer.

The posse was almost upon her.

A mass of heaving horses and shouting men waited for deliverance.

She squelched a curse as she expended a final effort in an effort to save them.

A gasp fluttered from her lips as the wire fell to the ground. Just as the men and horses trampled by, intent on their pursuit of Jefferson and his gang.

She ran toward the figure of her sister and pulled her into her arms.

Bullets zipped by her head. Cutting down the branches of the snow-covered trees that sheltered them.

Through tears of pain that blurred her eyes, Selena could see Jefferson creeping along the forest floor. Obviously, he was attempting to work his way around behind the mass of men who had confronted him.

A gentleman would never shoot an enemy in the back. However, Jefferson had never been a gentleman. If he won this battle and found out that Selena had helped his enemies, he wouldn’t hesitate to attack Jamie either.

His wild bloodshot eyes met hers for a moment. A smile crossed his face, revealing a mouth of bloodstained teeth. Then his hand was reaching forward, pulling him toward the huddled sisters.

The posse continued the battle, unaware of this effort to work around them.

Selena scanned the surrounding forest, searching for some sort of weapon.